The CEU Department of Philosophy cordially invites you to a talk
(as part of its Departmental Colloquium series)
by
Levi Spectre (
http://openu.academia.edu/LeviSpectre ) (Open University of Israel)
on
"Inference and fallible knowledge"
Tuesday, 23 November, 2010, 4.30 PM, Zrinyi 14, Room 412
ABSTRACT
The principle of closure in epistemology is the idea, roughly, that whenever one knows
that p and one knows that if p, then q, one knows that q. I argue that epistemological
fallibilists should reject this intuitive and widely endorsed principle. First, I will
present an argument that shows why the issue of fallibilism is critical for the debate
concerning closure and relate this argument to issues regarding rational belief, justified
belief and rational acceptance. Second, I argue that even very weak closure principles
cannot be accepted on a fallibilist understanding of knowledge. Finally I comment on why
living without closure is not as bad as it sounds.
Kriszta Biber
Department Coordinator
Philosophy Department
Tel: 36-1-327-3806
Fax: 36-1-327-3072
E-mail: biberk(a)ceu.hu